The Kasilof River personal use dipnet fishery closed Wednesday at midnight.
When the fishery opened June 25, approximately 14,000 sockeye salmon were counted by sonar. Daily counts climbed to a peak of 99,000 on July 17. They have since fallen below 10,000, with only 5,000 counted on Tuesday.
In response to high sockeye counts, the area open to dipnetting on the Kasilof was expanded the same day that the fishery opened.
So far this year, 1 million sockeye salmon have been counted on the Kasilof, far exceeding the escapement goal for the species at 140,000-370,000. This year’s count, with around three weeks of counting left, is already higher than the final counts from each of the last four years. At this time last year, only 786,000 sockeye had been counted on the river.
All anglers with an Upper Cook Inlet Personal Use Salmon Permit are required to complete online reporting at harvest.adfg.alaska.gov. Reporting must be completed by Aug. 15, even if the permit was left unused or if no fish were caught.
Failure to report by the deadline will result in the loss of personal use fishing privilege in 2025, the department says.
More information about fishing regulations and availability can be found at adfg.alaska.gov.
Reach reporter Jake Dye at jacob.dye@peninsulaclarion.com.
